Chapter 46: Old Bastard, Enjoying the View?

Sitting alone in the grand hall, Liu Ruyan frowned as she looked toward the doors. Why would the bell ring at this hour?

If the White Sword Sect were summoning all disciples for a gathering, the bell would ring once.
If there were an emergency, it would ring twice.
If an external enemy were invading, it would ring three times.

Yet right now, the bell was clearly sounding twice!

"Fourth Senior Sister!" At that moment, a disciple stumbled into the hall, his face brimming with joy. "The former Master has returned!"

"What?!" Liu Ruyan furrowed her brow, rebuking him with displeasure. "Have you all lost your minds?! Master is clearly dead!"

At the time, they had personally brought back Huang Lian's corpse and buried it. Now they were claiming Huang Lian had returned?!

"Go on ahead. I will be there shortly!"

After dismissing the disciple, Liu Ruyan cast her gaze toward the back of the grand hall.

A familiar figure stepped out, and was that person not Liang Chuan?!

Although Liang Chuan had led the disciples down the mountain, he had secretly returned to the sect after arranging their tasks. After all, hostilities had not yet broken out, so there was no need for him to remain stationed at the foot of the mountain in person.

"Senior Brother, what do you make of this?" Liu Ruyan was both pleasantly surprised and troubled.

She harbored a deep attachment to her master; if he had truly returned, she would naturally be overjoyed. Yet, she had clearly laid eyes on Huang Lian's corpse with her own eyes.

"Junior Sister, if you cannot make sense of it, go out and see for yourself!" Liang Chuan said, retrieving a silk garment from his storage ring. "Put this silk robe on before you go out."

Puzzled, Liu Ruyan accepted the garment. The moment her fingertips brushed against the fabric, however, her expression changed drastically in alarm.

"Senior Brother, could this be a Tier 3 protective Dharma robe?!"

The sect actually did possess a Tier 1 protective spiritual treasure, but due to its severe flaws, it was virtually never used. Furthermore, while Dharma robes were a type of magical artifact, the two were vastly different. Dharma robes relied on their material and embedded formations to generate defense, setting them apart from ordinary magical artifacts. This meant activation was unnecessary; simply wearing it provided immense protective capabilities.

"Put it on first!"

Urged repeatedly by Liang Chuan, Liu Ruyan hurriedly slipped the Dharma robe on over her clothes and strode quickly toward the entrance of the grand hall.

As soon as she stepped outside, she spotted a crowd escorting a kindly-faced elderly man walking toward them.

When she caught sight of that familiar visage, Liu Ruyan's eyes turned red, for this was undeniably her master.

She never imagined her master could return, let alone wear that familiar smile.

Taking three steps in two, she dropped directly to one knee before Huang Lian. "Master! You have returned!"

Gazing at the master before her, the emotions within Liu Ruyan surged like a tide, making her want to weep. To her, he was not merely a master, but the father figure who had raised her. Believing she would never see him again in this lifetime, she now saw him alive and breathing right before her.

"Ruyan, why are you crying? Am I not right here, safe and sound?"

Huang Lian helped Liu Ruyan up with both hands and chuckled. "Your cultivation has advanced quite a bit, it seems. This master is truly gratified."

"Master, this is all thanks to Third Senior Brother. Without him, my cultivation realm could not have reached the late Foundation Establishment stage so quickly."

Remembering something, Liu Ruyan quickly prepared to claim credit on behalf of Liang Chuan. During the period Liang Chuan had taken charge of the sect, earth-shaking changes had occurred.

"Liang Chuan, you say? No wonder I saw so many new faces. It seems this is all Liang Chuan's doing." Huang Lian smiled as he looked around at the surrounding disciples, then asked, "How is it that I do not see Liang Chuan?"

"Third Senior Brother, he is right—"

Overcome by joy, Liu Ruyan had almost blurted out Liang Chuan's whereabouts, but catching herself, she said on an impulse, "Third Senior Brother has led the disciples down the mountain. He probably won't be back for a while."

"Down the mountain? Why would he go down the mountain at a time like this?"

Huang Lian arched an eyebrow, resting his horsetail whisk against his arm.

Only then did Liu Ruyan inform Huang Lian of the invasion by the Sun-Birth Sect. Yet, even as she relayed these events, she did not forget to carefully observe Huang Lian's reactions.

Huang Lian's expression darkened, and he frowned as he said, "What? This Sun-Birth Sect actually dares to move against our White Sword Sect?"

"There is nothing to be done. After all, if we cede Nanyang City, our resources will plummet drastically." Liu Ruyan sighed with a bitter smile. Back then, even without a fight, the reputation of the White Sword Sect would have plummeted to the dirt. Despite the opponent being the Sun-Birth Sect, swallowing such an insult would mean the White Sword Sect could never recruit disciples again.

Huang Lian cast a sympathetic glance at the White Sword Sect. "It seems there is no help for it. It is merely a pity that our White Sword Sect is about to be destroyed like this."

Observing Huang Lian's actions, Liu Ruyan finally breathed a sigh of relief, for every gesture and movement was identical to her master's. Even upon learning of the current plight, his perspective differed not at all from her master's usual mindset. After all, her master had always been benevolent toward others, quietly enduring even the most unpalatable grievances.

"Master, you actually need not worry too much. Our sect has devised a way to earn spiritual stones now! We take in at least two hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones every single day!"

Liu Ruyan dropped this piece of news outright. This matter could not be concealed forever anyway, so she might as well tell her master in advance.

Hearing this, Huang Lian widened his eyes slightly. At that moment, excitement reached its absolute peak within him.

"Just as expected, that brat Zhao Wu really didn't lie to me!"

He truly had not imagined that a minor sect could rake in two hundred and fifty thousand spiritual stones a day. He knew how difficult it was for him to acquire that many spiritual stones in an entire year previously, yet here they were earning that much in a single day. The mere thought of it made his eyes turn red.

Swallowing hard, he asked hurriedly, "Quickly, take Master over to see it!"

In truth, after stepping inside, he could have torn off his disguise immediately, but he had acted this far solely to uncover the method for generating spiritual stones.

"Then please follow me, Master. Everyone else, withdraw for now!"

Liu Ruyan dismissed the Qi Condensation disciples before leading Huang Lian toward the back mountain.

Upon reaching the elixir-refining chamber, the moment they pushed the door open, a heavy wave of medicinal fragrance washed over them.

Huang Lian sniffed slightly and immediately recognized that only a massive quantity of Foundation Establishment Pills could produce a fragrance this potent. Since the disciples had all descended the mountain, the chamber was empty, yet even so, Huang Lian could not suppress a surge of delight.

From what Liu Ruyan had said, these pills were concocted using a standardized method; this would undoubtedly yield countless spiritual stones for him!

However, just as he followed Liu Ruyan back outside, the smile froze on his face.

Standing outside were... dozens of Foundation Establishment disciples.

Every single one of them held a strange magical artifact, glaring at him with hostile intent.

At the very front stood Liang Chuan!

With a chilling expression, Liang Chuan wore a sneer. "Old bastard, was the view nice?"